Dodge City times. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1876-1892, 1887-11-24

herent impossibility. I remember
once when John Mi lding happened to
speak Of the irritability of certain
person. "And what do you mean by
irritability?" was the ready retort of
Wiltcr Though naturally surprised
ut such question. even from man
of Wilter's well-known propensiiies,
Milding replied that it meant the quail
ity of being easily irrkated. suscepti-
bility to excitement or evaporation.
Then Wiiter put on one of those exas-
perating smiles of his. which said rs
plainly as words could have
expressed it: '.Ah. my boy! now I've
got you'll" Wilter had somewhere run
across the word in its Astrological
sense. "a healthful vital susceptibility
to the influence of natural. medicinal
and mechanical agents. and the power
of responding in normal manner,
both by sensation and actions; espe-
cially tho property. in living tissue, Of
sudden contraction. followed BY relaxa-
ton. produced by direct stimulus of its
substance. or through the influence
of the nerves." and with this idea
in his mind. he straightway proceeded
to demolish Milding's position-or
persuaded himself Ire was dcmolishing
it, which amounted to the same thing
and. in his own estimation, had very
soon left poor Milding without leg
to stand on. N ow. Milding was no
dehater. He hated argument as ar
IDENTITY as a certain unspeakable indi-
vidual is popularity supposed to
hate holy wafer. But when
Milding was sure of his ground.
he wasn't the man to give it up with
out struggle. Conseq uently he held
up his end rs well rs he was able, and
the dispute was long and woriy As
each was right from his own stand
point, and wrong from the other
premise. they were no nearer agree
mcnt after three hours disputation
than W hen they began. But that
didn't trouble Wilter particle. In
deed, it left him with subject for
al
and so on indefinitely.
On another occasion. somebody hap
pening to mention Patagonia rs being
in South America, Wilter. possibly out
of mere love of discussion. bounced
upon the timerous one, and not only
denied that Patagonia was in South
America, but unblushingly de-
clared that it was in Africa;
and he then proceeded TO back up
his statement by long and vigorous
argument; and II very able argument
it was. and one that might easily have
convinced a person quite unfamiliar
with geography.
From these two illustrations. which
are true beyond peradvcnture. a good
insight into the mental idiosyncracy
of Wiltcr is obtained. He never was
beaten in argument. for he never adj
m;tted any thing that his opponent
advanced, and he had the immense
advantage of possessing tongue that
never wearied and love Of discus
sion which knew no abatement.
Wilter when l knew him was an cx-
pert workman. He was paid by the
piece. and when he chose he could
earn i'll a given period of time twice
us much as any two of his fellows.
But his rage for argument was so
powerful that his bill was gen.
orally the smallest of all the
men in the shop. But he
cared not for that. H was happy so
long rs he could argue. which was
about all the time; and. though his
clothing was wholly unpresentable
and his face and hands dingy from
saronaceous abstcntion. and though
his family presented various degrees
Of shabbiness. and were usually on the
shortest of short commons, and spite
of the duns which ever lowered about
his head. WiIter's equanimity was
never disturbed in the slightest. The
only thing that vexed him was the
lack of opportunity to argue--that is
to say. when he was alone.
But Wilter has long ago forsaken
the workman's bench, and is now an
alderman. He has found in the
aldcrmanic business an earthly para
disc. Wil'er is the one happy man Of
all the men l know. Oh, il he could
live orevcr!-Boston Transcript.